Fifteen years later.
It was a summer day in 1960. The sun was blinding.
The British Ministry of Magic building, first floor. In the fireplace, which was used for nostalgia and ornamental purposes, a flame suddenly jumped. A young man rolled out of the fireplace in a rather embarrassing manner, causing the hanging ornaments and spider plants on the fireplace to shake and clank.
However, the young man's reaction was quite agile. He reached out and caught the falling items in his hand.
However, his clothes were in a mess and his hair was covered with ashes from the furnace. A few men wearing suits and carrying briefcases were talking to the men next to him. They were startled and quickly moved aside to avoid him.
"Hey, young man, why did you come out of the old fireplace?" The wizard in the suit pinched his nose. "This thing has been out of use for many years."
The young man did not answer his question. Instead, he asked anxiously, "Where is the office of the head of the Ministry of Magic?"
"The head of the Ministry of Magic?" The man with the briefcase looked at the young man in front of him in shock. "Why are you looking for head of department Bach?"
"I …"
Before the dusty young man could speak, he saw in the distance a male clerk in a kilt and slippers running towards them. He was hugging a large stack of documents and was panting heavily. He also used a levitation spell to control a stack of documents, which made him look like a pile of documents with legs. As he ran, he yelled, "Make way, make way!!"
The man was walking towards an elevator that was about to close and was about to crash into it.
"Hey, be careful!"
Bardi rushed over at lightning speed and quickly grabbed the elevator door with his hand. He held the elevator door for the pile of documents to prevent her from crashing into the closed elevator door.
"Oh, thank you, brother." A young man wearing thick glasses poked his head out from behind the documents. He looked at the elevator door with lingering fear and said, "Damn, I almost scattered the documents. It took me an entire day to sort them out."
Bardi followed the man into the elevator and asked impatiently, "Excuse me, what floor is head of department Bach's office on?"
"Don't you know that the Minister went to Moscow for a visit today?"
The man holding a stack of documents asked curiously, "Bro, is it really okay for you to meet the head of the Ministry of Magic like this?"
"I have something important to do." The young man waved a letter with a red seal in his hand and emphasized, "It's very important!"
The man holding the document poked his head out to take a look. He saw the seal pattern on the stamp clearly, and a look of understanding appeared on his face. "Hogwarts?"
"Yes." The young man puffed out his chest.
"Come with me. I was just about to deliver the signed document to the minister. But I have to remind you that his secretary is not easy to deal with. If you don't tell her why you're here, she won't let you in. "
With that, the elevator door opened with a ding dong.
Bardi jogged behind the man who was hugging the documents. He asked in shock, "There are so many documents. They were all signed by the minister alone?"
The young man rolled his eyes. "This is the third time I've delivered them today. This job was supposed to be done by his secretary, but she sprained her ankle recently …"
Bardi was stunned. He had heard that the current head of the Ministry of Magic, Hoffa Bach, was a famous workaholic, but he did not expect it to be even more exaggerated than the rumors said.
Just as they passed through the corridor and arrived at the lobby of the Ministry of Magic's office, someone called out unhappily, "Hey, mohawk head, don't rush in! What do you do? "
Mohawk head Bardi stopped in his tracks and combed his hair. The young man who delivered the documents gave him a "good luck" look and jogged away with the documents.
Bardi turned around and saw a middle-aged woman sitting in front of the desk. She was looking at him sternly from the corner of her eyes. "What are you looking at? Which department are you from? You want to meet the head of the Ministry of Magic without an appointment?!"
Her tone was so scary that the other employees in the office all looked up and stared at the young man with messy clothes and messy hair who had barged in.
"Oh … God …!" Bardi's face was red as he held his head in frustration. "Listen, I'm not an official from the Ministry of Magic. I'm an assistant professor at the Hogwarts. I'm here on Principal Dumbledore's orders to deliver a letter to the head."
Dumbledore's letter!
The middle-aged woman's expression softened. She reached out her hand. "You can't do it without an appointment. Give me the letter and I'll deliver it for you."
Everyone in the office looked at him curiously. Bardi felt a lot of pressure, but he stubbornly hid the letter behind his back.
This action caused a few people in the office to laugh. Bardi did not know what they were laughing about. However, it must have something to do with the middle-aged woman.
As expected, the middle-aged woman limped out from behind the desk and walked up to Bardi with an unfriendly expression.
"Hey, you little brat, you're not here to make my job difficult, are you? The head's letter must be approved by me before it can be passed to the head. If you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for calling Aura over … "
"Oh no!"
Bardi panicked. He looked around and whispered into the woman's ear, "The contents of the letter are about the head's children … I have something to say to the head in person."
When she heard that it was about the head's children, the harshness on the middle-aged woman's face quickly disappeared. She limped back to the desk and quickly picked up the phone. She pressed a few buttons and the call was connected. She covered the microphone and quickly mumbled a few words. As she spoke, she glanced at Bardi.
Soon, the middle-aged woman put down the phone and pointed at a sofa in the distance. She said calmly, "Go sit there and wait. You're in luck. The head will be back from Moscow in half an hour."
"Phew …"
Bardi breathed a sigh of relief. He was no longer as anxious.
He sat on the sofa and began to wait. The people in the head's office of the Ministry of Magic continued with their work. It was busy but quiet.
After waiting for a while, Bardi saw that no one was paying attention to him. He started to wander around the office curiously. This was the pinnacle of power in the magic world, but it looked surprisingly normal.
There were not many special decorations in the office, but there were many photos. The photos were all black and white. Upon closer inspection, they were all old photos from more than a decade ago. Most of the photos were of tragic but realistic war scenes.
Bardi was a member of the new generation. He did not have many memories of the long-lasting war in the past. However, he had heard about it from books, teachers, and elders. It was the most terrifying war in the world of magic. It was also the latest revolution.
Following the wall of photos, he came to the glass wall of the Ministry of Magic's building. In the sky outside the glass window, a white airship slowly flew past. Under the airship, there was an endless stream of magic carpets and floating buildings. There were also some flying cars in the sky. There was also a lush forest by the side of the road.
The incomparable prosperity outside was a stark contrast to the tragedy in the photos. Bardi suddenly realized the head's intention for this setup. Did he hang the photos of the past on the wall to remind him?
As he was thinking, there was a commotion in the hallway.
A middle-aged man in a dark wizard robe walked out of the hall, surrounded by several Auros. He was in his thirties, had black and white hair, and looked energetic. He walked with a vigorous gait. A young female secretary was beside him, flipping through the documents in her hands as she ran. She was chattering non-stop.
Bardi immediately recognized the man in the crowd. He had seen Hoffa Bach countless times in posters and magic broadcasting stations. He was the man who ended the war and rebuilt the wizard society. He was the only head of the Ministry of Magic in history for three consecutive terms. He was also the most iron-fisted person in the world. He was the idol of many young wizards. Bardi had read his speeches countless times. However, when he stood in front of the head of the Ministry of Magic, his legs still turned to jelly.
"Ba … Head Bach …"
When Hoffa walked past him, he stuttered.
Perhaps he was too busy, or perhaps the secretary beside him was too talkative. The group of people walked past Bardi without anyone noticing him.
Seeing that the head of the Ministry of Magic was about to enter his office, Bardi finally gathered his courage and shouted, "Head Bach!"
Hoffa heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw a young man with a mohawk head covered in soot standing in his office. He was slightly surprised.
"Ba … Bach … Head, I … I … I have something to talk to you about …"
Bardi was tongue-tied. He was so nervous that sweat was dripping down his forehead.
The Aura beside the head of the Ministry of Magic saw that he was unfamiliar and his clothes were a mess. They surrounded him with unfriendly expressions.
Huo Fa immediately extended his hand to stop the Auror and gently said, "What do you want to say? Speak slowly."
Bardi looked at the Aura beside him and gritted his teeth. He stood on his tiptoes and whispered something in Hoffa's ear.
Hoffa listened and nodded expressionlessly. He pressed the young man's back and brought him into his office. As soon as he closed the door, he sighed. "How did Dumbledore deal with it?"
The Aura left, and so did the chattering secretary. Bardi immediately relaxed. He stopped stuttering and said sincerely, "Since you're so busy, Headmaster Dumbledore had to contact your wife and ask her for help. However, after your wife went, he ran to the highest point of Ravenclaw Tower and refused to come down."
Hoffa sighed. "I understand. What about now? Did he come down?"
"I rode a flying broom up there and picked him up. I handed him over to your wife. Your wife was furious, really furious … So Headmaster Dumbledore wrote you this letter and asked me to pass it to you personally. He asked me to tell you that everything is fine in the school. However, if you can, please take some time to accompany him. Otherwise … "
Bardi wanted to say something but stopped.
"I understand." Hoffa said gently. He patted the young man's back. "Thank you, Bardi. It's been hard on you."
The young man was shocked. He asked with extreme surprise, "How, how do you know my name?"
"I've heard Dumbledore mention you a long time ago. Hufflepuff's ball player. You've been the top scorer at the end of the semester for four consecutive years. I've also seen your match at Quidditch. That match between you and Ravenclaw was very exciting, very exciting," Hoffa praised.
The young man's eyes were filled with tears. He was so excited that his whole body was trembling. He felt that this man was glowing.
Hoffa smiled and helped him tidy up his messy collar. He joked, "However, next time you come to the Ministry of Magic, remember to take the Super Flyer. That furnace is now a souvenir. If you break it, you'll have to pay for it."
"I … I know …" Bardi forced tears. He was so excited that his whole body was trembling.
If others knew that Hoffa Bach, the head of the Ministry of Magic and the three-term head of the Ministry of Magic, had not only watched his matches, remembered his name, and even helped him tidy up his collar, it would be such an honor.
"Alright, go back. Help me apologize to Professor Dumbledore." Hoffa patted him on the shoulder.
"I understand." Bardi took a deep breath and said in an unusually calm manner.
"Very good," Hoffa praised him.
The young wizard nodded and solemnly turned around to leave the office of the head of the Ministry of Magic. The female secretary who passed by saw his suddenly serious appearance and couldn't help but pout. She thought to herself, 'Another guy who has been conquered by the head's charm.'
.....
.....
However, in the office, after the young wizard left, Hoffa leaned back in his chair, exhausted. The meeting with the foreign wizard had used up a lot of his energy. There was still a huge pile of complicated government affairs waiting for him to deal with. The new wizard education bill needed his signature, the increasing scarcity of magical materials needed his help, maintaining stability in the country required a lot of his energy, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor gave him a headache.
In comparison, the craziest adventures of his youth paled in comparison to this.
And now, Dumbledore had sent him a letter … He looked at the calendar on his desk. It was September 1st. He took out his magic wand, turned it into a letter opener, and opened the letter Dumbledore had written to him.
After reading it, Hoffa let out a bitter smile. He held his forehead and groaned, "Oh … Ugh … You little brat …"
The content of Dumbledore's letter was very subtle. The gist of it was that his son, who had just entered school, had beaten up a few of his peers. He was very naughty and mischievous. Dumbledore hoped that he could find time to talk to him in private and spend some time with him.
After reading the contents of the letter, Hoffa's heart ached. He couldn't help but want to go back and teach that silly boy a lesson.
However, the temporary change in mood did not knock him down. He put down the letter and began to read the documents in front of his desk. As he read, he used the Mind-Flow Spell, So-Hum, that Silby had taught him. With a simple breath, he calmed his mind.
Two hours later, he finally raised his head from the pile of documents. He rubbed his temples tiredly and pressed the bell on his desk.
The secretary who was working outside the door walked in and asked, "Head, what are your orders?"
The moment the secretary walked in, the tiredness on Hoffa's face disappeared completely. He became energetic and sat up straight. He quickly signed the documents in front of him.
"Get ready. Give this batch of documents to Director Helga. Tell him that I've read the approval of the Transportation Department. If there are no accidents, let's start work. I want to see twenty Super Hovernets by the end of the year."
"Okay."
The secretary hurried forward and took the documents from Hoffa's hands.
After signing a few documents, Hoffa ordered, "Also, verbally inform Richard of the Magical Items Supervision Department and ask him to strengthen the control of the contraband circulating in the market this year. Also, ask the people from the Legal Department to come to me with him at eight o 'clock tomorrow morning for a meeting. "
"Got it." The secretary took out a small notebook and wrote it down. Then, he said hesitantly, "Head Bach."
"Yes?"
The secretary said, "The former head of the Environmental Protection Department, Raymond Denton, has been wanting to see you. He seems to be suffering from the days in the reserve."
"No," Hoffa said calmly. "Tell that old sly man that when he can restore the unicorns in the Western Forest to the level before his term, he will come to see me."
"Got it."
Hoffa handed the signed documents to the secretary and said after thinking for a while, "Oh, by the way, ask Klopner to help Miranda host the International Affairs Department's press conference tonight. She may not be going today."
"This …" The secretary, who was always obedient and clever, was a little hesitant.
"What's wrong, Phyllis?"
"Head, your wife … is famous for being punctual and …" (the secretary paused for a few seconds) … uh … forceful. If she knows that Klopner is helping her organize the press conference, she may not be happy. "
Hoffa understood. He remembered that last time she fired several subordinates because she was too strict. No wonder his secretary was so timid. However, Dumbledore had written him a letter today. He probably had to let Miranda take a vacation.
"It's okay. Let Klopner go. I'll take care of her," Hoffa said gently. "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's my pleasure."
The secretary said no more.
She walked out of the head's office with the half-meter-thick, tottering documents that Hoffa had given her.
After approving the documents, Hoffa stood up, took a sip of tea, and stood up after slightly emptying his chair. He walked into the portal in the corner and said briefly, "Bach's residence."
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